The department of theological studies will present the 16th Annual DeLubac Lecture at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 8, in the Saint Louis Room, Busch Student Center. Joseph Patrick Chinnici, OFM, will present "Politics and Abuse: Creating an Ethical Space in a Public Church."

Chinnici, is professor of American church history at Graduate Theological Union, Franciscan School, in Berkeley, Calif.

He is past president of the American Catholic Historical Society. He engages current ecclesial theological issues in American historical perspective. He is also a former Minister Provincial of the Santa Barbara Franciscan Province.

During his time as provincial in the early 90s, he was the first to address the scandal of sexual abuse of minors by priests on national television. He recently published a book on this topic, When Values Collide.

As the 16th DeLubac lecturer, Fr. Chinnici will begin with insights from Fr. Henri DeLubac to offer a cultural analysis of the problem and of the responses to the problem. He will thereby explore the challenge to develop a public ethic in the internal life of the Church. To do this he will draw upon the Franciscan theological tradition.